Wellesley defeated at Talavera

The battle of Talavera has been won - by the French. The third wargame in our series based on Wellington's battles in the Peninsula has gone against the historical outcome. All three of these games have been very enjoyable, and I would recommend this idea to anyone wanting a good game without too much preparation.

The idea is to base the game on a historical battle, but not to attempt in any way to recreate the battle. For example in this game the table has the two hills of medellin and cascajal, a strong point in the centre to represent the pajar and a large town to represent Talavera. The allied army is half Spanish, on the right, and half British, on the left. The French have three groups of infantry and one of cavalry. The cavalry are opposite Talavera, two lots of infantry opposite the British and one in the centre to reinforce either wing. Historical strengths are ignored, the aim is to have a reasonably balanced game which would be fun for both sides to fight.

My rules are designed to be simple and fast and to reward historical Napoleonic tactics, but they rely for a large degree on the luck of the dice. So knowledge of the rules, or even a better tactical knowledge of the period, will not always lead to victory, though either will give you an advantage. This approach will not suit everyone, but it does lend itself to fun games.

The games last for a maximum of 12 moves, which is sufficient to allow an infantry figure to march from one side of the table to the other. The layout is designed for the fighting to take part in the centre of the table. So there is sufficient time to allow for a little manoeuvre, but if one side spends too much time in preparation they will run out of time.

If interested you can read the battle report here:

-->http://wellingtonsbattles.blogspot.com/
Or read the rules here:

-->http://paulandjanwargamerules.blogspot.com/